My Sweet Fracture
by Unread-Letters
Summary: When Annie needs a ride to the doctor's who's there to take her? Rated T for language.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot, that's all mine. Everything else belongs to Dan Harmon and NBC. "My Sweet Fracture" belongs to Saves the Day, from their album **_**Through Being Cool.**_

**Author's Note: Another drabble I've been throwing around. This is actually based on some real life events. I'm a little iffy about the ending so please let me know what you think. Questions, comments, concerns and criticisms are always welcome. Thanks for reading! **

** My Sweet Fracture**

**By: UnreadLetters**

"_But the first word out of my mouth is your name without a doubt."- Title Fight_

In the middle of October, Annie sprains her knee. She trips over a box full of old textbooks while moving into her apartment and goes flying into the kitchen. Despite Annie's protests, her father takes her to the hospital where the sprain is confirmed.

She's out of classes for a week but nobody sees her until 10 days later when she comes hobbling into the study group in a leg brace and on crutches. She is upset about two things: the amount of class work she missed (although, she is almost caught up but still feels light-years behind) and the fact that her parents now have to drive her to and from school like she's in junior high again. If there's one thing Annie tries to avoid it is depending on other people, even her parents (especially her parents). But she accepts that she will just have to depend on her parents for a while. Which is kind of a cruel joke seeing as this all started because she was trying to move out and be independent.

The whole parents driving her around thing isn't too bad because Annie doesn't do much outside of school. Troy picks her up to go to the movies with him and Abed a couple times because he lives down the street and there's just something different about Annie this year. Shirley and Britta come one afternoon on the weekend to take her to the mall but it's still kind of awkward with Britta and Annie has a hard time getting around so they don't stay long.

Annie spends a month attempting to diverge everyone's pity. Her progress is slow but after countless doctors' appointments and physical therapy sessions she thinks that maybe she's ready. In the middle of November is the "deciding factor" doctor's appointment. This appointment is crucial to Annie because it's the one where the doctor decides whether she is actually making progress or whether it's all in her head. The appointment is scheduled for a Wednesday and it's Monday when her parents inform her that she needs to find a ride. Her mother has been called in for a last minute surgery and her father will be out of town for a business meeting. Annie curses her life almost immediately and begins to go through a list of possibilities.

She calls Shirley first. And Shirley would be more than happy to do it but Wednesday is Jordan's field trip to the Aquarium and she's chaperoning. Annie calls Troy next who wishes he could but is going with Abed to a Community College near Denver to interview students for a documentary. Troy's really just going for the girls. Abed confirms this when Annie talks to him after study group on Tuesday. Pierce overhears them and informs Annie that he too is going with Abed and will be unable to drive her (even though he was never asked).

By Tuesday afternoon, Annie sits on her sofa and stares at her cell phone really wishing Shirley or Troy or Abed's plans would get cancelled because she really doesn't want to call Britta or Jeff. Finally, she weighs each option in her head and picks the lesser of the two evils.

Britta picks up after the fifth ring and sounds more than a little groggy. Annie apologizes profusely but Britta mumbles something about forgetting to set an alarm even though it's the afternoon and clears her throat. Annie blurts the question out as quickly as she can with a slew of "I'm really sorry"s and "I know it's last minute"s but she holds her breath when she's finished and waits for Britta's response. Annie can hear Britta clicking her tongue, checking the schedule in her head until she says that as far as she knows she's free and will get Annie around 10:30. Annie spews out a long line of "thank you"s with promises of gas money or lunch or something before Britta cuts her off with a "gotta go, see you tomorrow."

Annie smiles a little when she hangs up the phone but quickly begins to worry. Her friendship with Britta has been a little strained and they haven't even hung out one on one since last semester. She feels so much more comfortable around Shirley, Abed and Troy (and she guesses Pierce) now but it could be worse, it could be Jeff taking her.

The truth is, things with Jeff didn't go back normal like she had hoped when she told him he was gross. That, of course, was just a front to hide the fact that she thinks about him more than anything else these days. But no one needs to know that. Annie wishes that Britta wasn't so "Britta" sometimes because she really could use a girlfriend to talk about things with.

She wakes up in the morning completely afraid of what this'll mean for her and Britta's friendship. What are they even going to talk about? The weather? It's chilly. Sports? Neither one cares. School? School might work.

Annie is so lost in thought over what her and Britta could possibly talk about that she's startled by the knock on the door. It's loud and heavy and draws her out of her trance. She hobbles over and opens the door, completely shocked at who's on the other side.

"Hey Tiny Tim," Jeff smiles down at her and chuckles at the nickname, "Britta had quite a night last night apparently. She called me this morning still slurring about Belle and Sebastian drinking games and taking you to the doctor's. She's sorry she can't make it."

Annie stares up at him wide eyed. "Oh, I'll just get my purse." She closes the door in his face, grabs her purse and counts her breathes before walking out to the hallway.

They talk a little bit on the ride to the hospital about inconsequential things: the weather, sports, school. Jeff tells Annie about when he broke his foot break dancing in high school and how he told everyone he went camping and fought a beer because what really happened was so embarrassing. She laughs at the story but what's really funny is the image she has of him break dancing. He's got the window rolled down just enough so she can lean her head out and feel the air. She catches him watching her out of the corner of her eye and tells him about how much she loves fall.

When Annie's certain he's watching the road, she watches him. He changes the radio station incessantly but only to the programmed stations: classic rock, the rap station, the college station, the 80's station, talk radio and the pop station that used to play a mix of stuff but now only plays Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. Whatever song happens to be playing, he taps along to on his steering wheel before changing the station in the middle of it. When someone cuts him off, Annie's startled by his yelling and the slew of curse words that come out of his mouth but she has to admit that there's something slightly sexy about the way he grips the steering wheel and shouts.

When they get to the hospital Annie likes the way they read the signs together to find the right building. Annie wonders what the people driving by think of them. She knows they're not a couple (she isn't that naïve) and she knows that Jeff definitely does not feel the same way but the old lady who just drove by and smiled at them doesn't need to know that and Annie can pretend. She really wishes they'd drive by one of those jerks from high school but that never happens when she wants it to.

When they finally find the right building, Jeff pulls up to the front door and tells Annie he's going to drop her off and park the car and does she need help getting out? Annie's so flabbergasted by the fact that he's parking the car (she had just assumed he would drop her off and come back) that she tells him he doesn't have to come in but the room number's 51 just in case. He offers to come around and get the door for her but she tells him she can manage. He still waits until she's inside to drive off.

Annie sits in the waiting room for ten minutes when she decides that he probably did wind up leaving or is at least sitting in the car fiddling with his cell phone. She mentally calls herself an idiot for even thinking that he would voluntarily sit in a waiting room with her. That was something a boyfriend would do and Jeff was far from a boyfriend. He wasn't really even a friend anymore. And to top it all off, Britta had to ask Jeff to come. It wasn't like he signed up for the job.

Annie nods to herself emphatically as she flips through US Weekly, pausing to skim an article on Katy Perry's current boyfriend. She doesn't even bother to look up when the waiting room door opens but regrets this decision immediately when she sees a black boot touch down on the floor in front of her. She follows the boot to the slightly tight jeans to the black sweater that's underneath the black jacket that is resting on the shoulders of Jeff Winger. The same Jeff Winger who walks to the magazine rack, moves a couple around before settling on a Newsweek about Afghanistan and takes a seat next to Annie.

She stares at him, mouth slightly agape, face turning pink while he gives her a small smile and a nod.

"Ran into an old client. Malpractice case." He opens the Newsweek and starts flipping through it without focusing on anything.

"Oh. That's nice. How's he doing?" She's not really sure how to respond but that seems all right.

Jeff chuckles a little, "He's okay. Staying out of trouble."

Annie nods and smiles then goes back to her celebrity gossip. Jeff settles down low in the chair, with his long legs stretched out in front of him. Every couple of minutes, Annie risks a peek from her magazine only to find him engrossed in his own. She lets her imagination wander to what life with Jeff Winger would be like. Sunday mornings; sitting on the couch, drinking coffee with him reading about politics while she reads celebrity gossip. He can tell her about how he ran into a old friend at lunch yesterday and she can ask how Bob's doing because Annie actually knows who Jeff's talking about.

This is one of those times that Annie wishes she had girlfriends. She wishes she could send a secret little text about Jeff going to the doctor's with her. She wishes someone would send an excited reply back and how he's "totally into" her. But Annie knows that she's never been one of those girls. Even when she was a cheerleader, she was never included in on the gossip and the drama. Annie is so desperate for some female companionship that she even considers texting Britta just to get some perspective on the situation even if it's a perspective she doesn't want but she knows that Britta doesn't care.

When the doctor calls Annie back Jeff looks up from his magazine and nods, he even reaches his hand out when he sees her teetering on her crutches but retreats it when Annie gets her bearings. The meeting with the doctor goes better then Annie expects and Jeff gives her another nod when she comes back into the waiting room. He stamps the parking ticket while Annie makes a follow up appointment but neither talk until they're in the hallway.

"So what'd he say?" Jeff asks as he leads her through the parking lot.

"I still can't drive but I don't really need to wear the brace anymore and I can phase out the crutches and if I do my exercises at home I can stop physical therapy in two weeks."

"That's great, Annie." He gives her a genuine smile as he pulls out of the parking space and Annie feels herself blush a little.

The ride back to Annie's is less strained and they talk more casually then they have in weeks. He stills fiddles with the radio but gets bored and plugs in his iPod. At a red light, he takes his time finding a song her thinks Annie will like and it's the only time he doesn't change the song in the middle. Annie's starting to feel a little better about everything overall when she asks if he'll be mad if she draws a picture on his windshield. He answers "yes" but with a small smirk and she can't tell whether he's serious or not but respects his wishes. A minute passes before he points out that it's not even foggy and she giggles lightly before responding, "I know but when it is the picture'll show up and you'll think of me."

She gets a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach right after her coy comment because his eyes are focused on the car in front of him but she sees him smile anyway.

He drops her off at home and helps her up to the door before bidding her goodbye with a smile and a wave. Annie sits on the sofa for a few minutes and attempts to analyze everything without very much success when her phone rings. She's a little surprised to see it's Britta.

"Hello?" Annie answers tentatively.

"Annie, I'm so sorry! I drank way too much at the Black Lips shows. I feel like such an idiot." Annie can hear Britta let out a breath.

"It's okay, Britta. Everything went okay. Doctor said everything was going well."

"Really? That's great! How was Jeff?"

"He was okay, actually," And because Annie really just wants someone to talk to she puts all her trust in Britta. "I really like him, Britta."

Britta lets out a heavy sigh and clicks her tongue thinking of something to say. "I know, Annie," she says finally. "I've always known."

"Oh. Well… what should I do?"

"I don't know. I don't think you should do anything because I think it's gross but I also think, for some weird reason, that Jeff makes you happy and you have this weird positive effect on him. But I don't know. I'm not good at this."

"Thanks, Britta." That response was good enough for Annie. "Hey, wanna get dinner later?"

"Sure, did the doctor say you could drive?"

"Not for at least another week."

"Hmmm…how about I bring over some take out?"

"That sounds great!" Annie doesn't bother to hide her enthusiasm.

"But Annie, I don't think I can handle anymore Jeff talk for today." She chuckles lightly.

Annie laughs, "There's other stuff to talk about, Britta."

"I'm so glad we're not like all the other girls."

"You know, I am too."

Annie keeps her promise to Britta and doesn't bring up Jeff at all, except to say that he offered to take Annie back for her fellow up appointment. Annie's more than a little surprised when Britta's only response is a small smile and a slight nod.

**The End**


End file.
